AromaFork – hack your tastebuds with this weird and wonderful tool

So here’s a fascinating fact. Apparently we humans lose half of our taste receptors by the time we reach 20, and from then on it’s all downhill. Yikes. As if that wasn’t enough, our tastebuds can only recognize 5 primary tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and unami – and if you’re a non-taster, you’re probably not even going to be able to do that. So it’s fascinating to report on a new product which aims to help things along in the tasting department using a very clever tool.

The AromaFork is, as the name suggests, a fork which can deliver a specific aroma to our nose as we eat. As we know, eating involves not just taste but also smell, so the ability to deliver different smells has a distinct effect on how we perceive the food we’re eating. This is part of the reason why we can start salivating even by smelling some lovely food on the hob.

The AromaFork actually comes as a kit, complete with the utensil, aroma droppers and papers, and 21 different aromas in tiny bottles, including things like chocolate, truffle, coffee and mint. Apparently using these aromas as you eat can actually double the flavors your brain can analyse. Freaky stuff.

The whole thing works by dropping an aroma onto the small blotting paper pad, inserting that into the handle of the fork, after which you eat as normal. As you lift the fork to your mouth, you’ll smell the aroma and it will act on your brain to create a new sensation from the food.

Unfortunately it’s hard to get an idea of how well this works without actually trying it, but the idea is fascinating. And anyone who has ever tried the amazing Miracle Berry will know that hacking your taste buds can be incredibly weird (if you’ve ever enjoyed a lemon which tasted as sweet as a delicious orange, you’ll know what we mean).

The kit is due to go on sale this month at $58.95, and we definitely want to experience eating a raspberry with a smoky aroma wafting up our nose. Or not. Maybe.

Nigel is the managing editor of the Red Ferret, as well as a freelance columnist for the Sunday Times newspaper in London. Loves tech and fancies himself as a bit of a futurist, but then don’t we all?